Sunday, March 1, 2015

#WomenLeadForward launches multi-platform program and plans First Silicon Valley "Women and Girls of Color" Conference

-- Responding to Intel Corporation Chief Executive Officer Brian Kranich's call to make Silicon Valley "less white and less male," Dr. Raye Mitchell, an award-winning Harvard University philanthropist, founded the new organization — Women Lead Forward — to provide a forum to help advance Women and Girls of Color and drive diversity, inclusion and growth. --

WomenLeadForward.com (WLF) launches as a premiere online resource for women and girls of color that delivers effortless access to innovation, technology and entrepreneurial event listings; leadership programs; individual and business profiles; news; market research; career forums; success stories; and organization and media resources. Planning is underway for the inaugural Silicon Valley Women and Girls of Color Conference in Spring 2016. The forum, themed "Women Lead Forward in Living Color" will integrate a full spectrum of information bringing women and girls to center stage.

The just concluded Watermark Silicon Valley Conference for Women that featured Hilary Clinton—former U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, and First Lady of the United States— demonstrated the growing demand to create a unique place for women in Silicon Valley. “Now is the appropriate time to launch WomenLeadForward.com and announce the inaugural Silicon Valley Women and Girls of Color Conference 2016 to directly engage women and girls of color as unique contributing leaders themselves. Women and girls of color offer a valued stand-alone perspective in the battle for equality and inclusion in leadership,” said Mitchell.

Recent headlines document that diversity inclusion for women and girls of color is visibly missing from the leadership ranks in technology, innovation companies and other segments. WLF provides a solution to that problem as a comprehensive Northern California, national and eventually global online resource for women and girls of color. “The project addresses the unmet needs of thousands of women and millennial women and girls of color who seek a visible platform to tell their own stories,” said Dr. Raye Mitchell, program founder and Chief Innovation Officer. “This program is distinguished from general market women’s leadership projects because one size does not fit all, and what works for general market women and girls advancement cannot be a substitute for the unique experiences and contributions of women and girls of color.”

WomenLeadForward.com rolls out first with its online site that delivers a full customer forum, an information portal and as a connector. The site presents an enhanced customer experience for African Americans and all women of color as a comprehensive, go-to resource and aggregator on events, arts, professional programs, and career development forums. Employers and corporate leaders seeking women of color talent or to promote and advance their diversity inclusion initiatives will find that WLF connects them to a focused and responsive audience.

Future expansion plans for Women Lead Forward in Living Color include a separate television show entirely focused on women and girls of color in global leadership. WLF is also planning to develop an innovation lab, and provide other forums including developing a mobile app to deliver access to rapid response telementoring, vital information, and interventions on demand to empower women and girls to lead forward. Discussions are underway to establish online and on-site professional development programs with the American University School of Professional & Extended Studies as well.

About Women Lead Forward | Dr. Raye Mitchell:The Women Lead Forward.com (WLF) mission is to increase the visibility and engagement of women and girls of color to grow diversity inclusion opportunities. Drawing from communities with a diversity of backgrounds; experiences; economic conditions; and racial, cultural, and sexual orientations, Women Lead Forward leads change and celebrates the diversity of vision and dreams that create the rich fabric of our community of women and girls of color.

WLF is a membership-based organization that offers premium membership and subscription programs for free. Women and girls service groups are encouraged to subscribe on the organization's website, on Facebook.com/Women Lead Forward and follow @weleadforward on Twitter, with hashtags #BlackWomenMatter, #WomenofColorMatter and #BlackGirlsMatter.

Launching first in San Francisco and Silicon Valley and soon expanding into Atlanta, GA, Women Lead Forward’s is focusing on all aspects of business, non-profits, innovation, technology, entertainment, media and communications, education, healthcare, law, government, and society, WLF is positioned to be the go-to authority to accelerate diversity inclusion for women and girls of color in technology and the innovation economy.

Women Lead Forward’s parent company, The New Reality B-Corp, a California benefit corporation, works closely with The New Reality Foundation, Inc., a California non-profit 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization to benefit the community. The New Reality Foundation developed such award winning and highly recognized programs as the G.U.R.L.S.[1] Rock Program for girls aged 8-12; the G.U.R.L.S. Lead Global Leadership Program for girls aged 12+; Girls Lead Forward with co-founder 16-year-old Helen Kassa (www.girlsleadforward.org) and the M.B.A. Series[2]Leadership Forums for millennials of color, started in partnership with Hill Harper—actor, New York Times best-selling author and founder of the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation.

About Dr. Raye Mitchell:A Harvard Law School attorney turned social entrepreneur, Dr. Raye Mitchell is an award-winning philanthropist, author, speaker innovation/creative consultant and entertainment producer that provides support for women and girls as present and future global leaders. Dr. Mitchell is the founder and Chief Innovation Officer at the New Reality B-corp. Learn more at www.DrRayeMitchell.com.